Rutgers' Anthony Cioffi recovers a blocked punt against Norfolk State during a game on Sept. 7. Cioffi is expected to get more playing time at cornerback.

Written by

Ryan Dunleavy
| @rydunleavy

It always was expected that highly touted recruit Nadir Barnwell, who played in the secondary in his very first college game, eventually would become a leader for the Rutgers football team's cornerbacks. But no one foresaw that time arriving halfway through his true freshman season.

With three career starts, Barnwell suddenly is an anchor at cornerback, where Rutgers' depth chart reads like a list of potential candidates for the past two editions of the Snapple Bowl - the New Jersey high school football summer game between selected All-stars from Middlesex County and Union County.